Danny-Rodriguez Reviews

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008 Video Game)

So good it makes San Andreas look like GTA 2.

[10/10 · 29 April 2008]

Seriously: BUY. THIS. GAME!! I've been running around all over the city trying to buy it today but they were all sold out everywhere. I finally find a copy at a kiosk where I usually buy movies. I think I bought their last copy, haha.

Anyway, so I get home and install it (it takes only a couple of minutes to install on PS3) and I start to play and the first thing that strikes me is the unbelievable freedom of movement in this game. I start driving around and speed up and hitting the brakes and running over people and so on and it's the most intense experience I have ever had playing a GTA game.

And just you wait till you get out on the street, there's no walking through other people on the street in this game, no, in this game you actually run into people, knock them over, and make the very angry with you. Hehe, I got a lot of people running after me my first time on the street. I know how that sounds, that sounds like bad AI right? Wrong! It actually felt extremely real being chased.

So go out and get this game, but the people who live in my town has to wait a week cos I bought the last copy in the entire city.

Peace out!

The Inglorious Bastards (1978)

Extremely enjoyable and entertaining war "guys on a mission" flick

[10/10 · 19 August 2007]

To be honest, after hearing a few things about this film and that it's being compared to The Dirty Dozen, I was not surprised at how funny, light and enjoyable this film was. It starts off on a very light and 70's style mood type opening credit sequence with Sergio Leone western-style graphics and a theme song worthy of A Bridge Too Far. And it continues throughout to be a fun filled movie with likable characters and those good old war film shootouts with a guy shooting at a German and the German grabbing his gut and falling to the ground. Let's face it, we love that stuff.

It also has a few twists to the plot and a few memorable scenes and lines, you seriously need to watch this if you're any kind of a movie buff.

Mallrats (1995)

Kevin Smith's very own Dawn Of The Dead.

[10/10 · 27 February 2007]

A small overview of the story first: Two guys, one a comic book freak (and Sega fan boy), both get dumped on the same morning and spends their day hanging out at the mall. I must say that for a movie and comic lover like myself this film is The Godfather, lovely "meaningless" dialouge all through the film because what do you do when you hang out at the mall? You talk about nothing.

Jay and Silent Fat **** is in the film too as always of course, with Silent bob being a little too obsessed with Batman and Star Wars. I'm a teenager and I'm sorry, I can't find many arguments on how the is a good movie but I can tell you this, this film inspires people, it inspires me, it inspires by friends and many others mainly because of its use of diauloge and referencing of the things that I love which makes me more and more interested in watching the film from every word ever said in the film.

As for the Dawn Of The Dead thing, it comes from a discussion I had with a fellow living-dead chum I have, saying that Kevin Smith is just like Romero! He started out in a confined area with Clerks, shot in black and white and then moved on to the shopping mall in color! Sounds ridiculous I know but it's kind of a neat little theory I think.

The Return of the King (1980 TV Movie)

Excellent animated film!

[10/10 · 11 January 2007]

I got this film yesterday and I absolutely loved it. It is very different from the other films and even the book but great animation and music made up for it by far. I especially loved the scenes with Frodo and Sam in orc clothes walking with the other orcs in mordor and also the fantasy dream scene with the smiling orcs coming towards Frodo and Sam showing the middle earth that could have been.

Also I loved the main theme song "Frodo of the nine fingers" I just can't get it out of my head.

I found the opening quite well done despite the fact that it's not in the book or the other films. The fact that there is a lot of new things in this film is by no means a bad thing if you keep an open mind. So sit back, relax, shut up and enjoy the music!

Sleep with Me (1994)

Officially my third favorite movie of all time and also my second favorite movie category.

[10/10 · 16 September 2006]

That category being a movie about relationships, the undertone of being unfaithful and the small things about relationships which aren't covered by normal big romance movies. Realism, indie film-making, long shots and acting which looks like it's improvised makes a movie for me. I dunno, maybe this category of movies is really my all time favorite, the other being gangster movies and such because these movies speak to me... Social commentary about my life and my thoughts and my own relationships are all in this movie like they are in Chasing Amy, my second all time favorite movie of all time. Resrevoir Dogs, being THE gangster movie, is the first.

In my opinion this really is modern movie making at it's best. Watching films like this I feel like I'm seeing Man Bites Dog again for the first time. Like in one sequence, similar to another sequence in the movie Boogie Nights, there's a scene which lasts for many minutes and which is shot in only a few shots through the eye of an old black and white camcorder made the hairs on my arm stand up in awe. This is a key scene in the movie and I wont spoil it for you but if you've ever had a relationship and been in these sort of awkward social situations before then you will feel the pain of these characters and be totally in the movie the whole time you see it from beginning to end. Or like another scene where they are all at a very formal and "boring" party and Frank shows up and it all blows up in everyone's face. This, I think, was my favorite scene in the movie because of what happens in it, how it happens and what happens because of it.

There is of course also the Quentin Tarantino cameo which didn't escape my eye either. The movie is worth seeing just for that but the whole film still meant so much more to me than that.

I'll wrap this up now with a few things I wanna say about the whole set up of these people's lives. Some are in the movie writing business and some are in the landscaping business but what I found deeply interesting was that we never actually see them at work. It's all just worked into the dialogue of the film which I really liked because that is not the conventional way. Usually you'll have a few scenes of them at work to establish this but in stead this movie focuses completely and utterly on the characters... And what a wonderful set of characters they were.

V for Vendetta (2005)

It was alright....

[6/10 · 26 July 2006]

I mean... i liked many aspects of it... i tell ya..hehe... the hairs raised on my hands during that first explosion in the beginning of the movie... but i really didn't like how it wasn't all that loyal to the book... and i was confused at times about things i really shouldn't have been confused about. like quentin Tarantino once said: it's alright to be confused while watching a movie if you feel like you're on good hands... that way in the end of the movie you no longer will be confused and you will feel like you saw something really special. but that really wasn't the case with this movie. evey's character was a bit underdeveloped... there was no mention of the nuclear war or the subplot of V maybe being Evey's father. and one scene which i really hate not being in the movie was V talking to the statue of several pages about it being unfaitfull to him and then finally blowing it up. but the replacement scene in the movie was alright i guess. and also the ending felt rushed... it should have ended like the novel did...

Half-Life 2: Episode One (2006 Video Game)

Couldn't have been better!

[10/10 · 19 June 2006]

It starts off with showing Vourtigants saving Alyx and stealing you from the Gman. It then continues with Alyx and Gordon going through the Citadel and City 17 fighting the remains of the Combine trying to get out of the city.

What I first noticed with this game is that the characters are a little bit more playful and lively than in the other games. This was quite fun to watch. The graphics are only slightly better than in Half-Life 2 but kinda noticeable. There are no new weapons but you still have your crowbar. There's only one new enemy which is a Combine zombie (zombine) which frankly are quite scary some times. Some of the sequences in this game are really psychological. Such as the one in complete darkness when all you have for light is your flashlight. Scary stuff.

A very good addition to the saga... can't wait for episode 2!

For a Few Lousy Dollars (1995)

It's not a rip-off and it's not a spoof. This is the ultimate Tarantino fan film!

[8/10 · 3 June 2006]

I am one of the biggest Quentin Tarantino fans you'll ever find. And I was even a Tarantino fan boy for the first year I was watching his movies. But then I came back to reality and saw him for what he was. He's not the most brilliant director in the world... but he's most certainly the most influenced one. So now I'm strictly a loyal fan and nothing more.

Now even though this movie is basically built up by plot points and different versions of numerous scenes in True Romance, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and many references to other Tarantino flicks it does not make it a ripp-off. This is more like a fan film made by someone who really loves Tarantino films and is greatly influenced by him. It has the same kind of bullsh!t dialouge and with many meaningless discussions and unknown quotes from people such as Shakespeare. The unchronilogical setup of the scenes in this movies is a bit more random than in Tarantino movies though but it is a bit intelligent in parts how the whole thing plays out.

I recommend to get this film off Amazon from a private buyer or off ebay or other places on the net. If you're a big Tarantino fan then it's definitely worth it!

The X-Files: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man (1996) Season 4, Episode 7

One of the best X-Files episodes ever made!

[10/10 · 27 May 2006]

Mainly because it tells us the background story of the cancer man and his story.

It tells us all of what he did in the past and where he came from and even some of his emotions surface in this episode.

We see that he wants out of the agency and wants to stop smoking but can't somehow.

And it even had a reference to my favorite writer! Tom Clancy! Apparently me and the cancer man share love for the same books!

The part about the Kennedy assassination was perfect and done very well by the director!

Great episode! It's worth it for the Forest Gump reference alone!

The Killers (1964)

Easyer to follow than the original and with a killer main theme!

[8/10 · 26 May 2006]

What can I say about this one? This race driver is the best there is and one day he gets approached y a dame and he falls in love and gets distracted on the filed and crashes his car and becomes injured. he now can't race no more and has to do a bank robbery for the dame's husband. people are double crossed, people kiss and people are killed. and in the end you are not left with any questions.

i liked this one for it's soundtrack, acting and cinematography. the colors in this movie are so bright you'd think they were making a point NOT to be like the dark original. killer performance by Lee Marvin as always and a classic soundtrack makes this b-movie cult classic a worthy addition to your collection!

Lady Snowblood (1973)

The main inspiration for Kill Bill and a masterpiece in its genre.

[10/10 · 18 May 2006]

Of the very few Japanese samurai movies i've seen this is without a doubt the best. It's about this woman who was born in a prison and raised by a samurai priest who teaches her the deadly arts in order to take revenge on the people who killed her father. The fact that this is the main inspiration for Tarantino's homage to the samurai genre Kill Bill is apparent all the way through it. From the main theme song from this film being used in Kull Bill to many shots copied and the film being divided into chapters. What's very good about this film is that you'll have no problem understanding and following the story without any confusion. Which happens a lot when you watch foreign cinema. No, this film is so thoroughly told that you wont miss a thing. I definitely recommend this film to any movie buff or Tarantino fan.

Doom (2005)

This is the video game adaption I have been waiting for!

[10/10 · 30 April 2006]

Same with Resident Evil this movie made me believe in a good adaption of the video game Half-Life. Let's pray it gets made some day. This movie however entertained me to the limit! I can only thank God that Uwe Boll didn't direct it.

Apparently some portal has been established between earth and Mars and they've set up a research lab on Mars. of course they find something and everybody there dies...well maybe not everybody. And then they of course send on only a small military team of "the best of the best" to go and deal with the problem. They do and they...well they die.

Now I don't hate The Rock but I don't love him either. But he was actually quite good in this one. granted it's not a Double Indemnity level performance but he got the job done. And the character of Portman, played by Richard Brake (who?), reminded me so much of a friend I have. He's a bit insane to. As for the effects in the movie? I don't see how they could have been better. it wasn't all CGI so there were a few puppets. which is quite a relief from all this CGI crap all the time.

What really made the movie for me was the POV sequence in the film. That is also one of the main reasons it made me believe in a very good Half-Life movie adaption. For a period of time in this film the camera is the eyes of a character and it's just like playing a video game. only in live action. the credits were done like that to so i sat through the whole thing just to see it.

Definitely recommended for you who wants to be entertained and who's not just looking for Shakespeare material. But it's not just for the average action junkie either.

Chasing Amy (1997)

Chasing Amy - A personal review.

[10/10 · 18 April 2006]

I became a fan of Kevin Smith's work a year ago. And I of course dug up every film he ever made. And this was the last one I found. It took me a while to find it. I had heard from some obscure sources that it was the worst of all of Kevin Smith's films. Now that I have seen it it becomes clear to me that the people who said that was probably teenagers who's never been in love. In this one Kevin shows his true skills as a writer. No scene is taken lightly, no line delivered wrong. It's a more serious movie. I mean the same basic humor is still there, Jay is loud mouthed as usual in the one scene they were in and Banky is rude to everyone. But it was the one scene with Jay and Silent Bob which moved me the most. When Bob tells his story about chasing Amy I found that I could really relate to the movie.

My first girlfriend, or at least she was on my part, who's name I will not mention here out of respect for her. I'll call her Janine. I am probably exactly like you. I like Tarantino, I'm in to pop culture, I watch way to many movies. People like us are lead to believe that there are no girls like that. We're wrong. I first came in contact with Janine in connection with Tarantino's unfinished My Best Friend's Birthday. She wanted to see it and I helped her with getting it. We fell in love over a small period of time. She was, by definition, the dream girl. She was good looking, she was sweet and easy to get along with and she was a Tarantino fan. And as time went along I found out that she was bi-sexual. I was 15 when I met her. She was 15 to. And as I got to know her I got to know a bit to much. In Chasing Amy Alyssa was a lot more experienced than Holden...sexually. So was Janine. The two has basically the same personality. And almost the same background. Janine had been around, she had had experience. I hadn't. I had no experience. It's basically the same situation with Holden except he had had some experience but not as much as her. It's basically the same thing.

So I started to feel a bit guilty that I didn't have any experience and started to feel like i wasn't worthy of her or something. I felt small in a way. I knew i had lacked experience and I was worried that I would never be on her level like I wouldn't be enough for her or something. I also started to feel like I was a bit disgusted by her. Thinking about the people she had been with before. But this film made me realize that I wasn't disgusted by her. I was afraid. But I later found out that I shouldn't compare myself to the one I'm with like that and just enjoy the time we had together. Regretfully I realized that to late. Ending it with her was hard because even after we broke up I still loved her. And I knew that she still loved me. She taught me an important thing: Tolerance. I no longer look down on gays or lesbians or people different from me. Frankly I don't think I ever did but at least I'm aware of it now. She taught me to be open minded to other and different things. And if you asked me if I could go back and not meet Janine because I knew that it wouldn't work. You know what I'd say? I'd say: "I wouldn't give up the two months we had together for one single minute of talking face to face with Quentin Tarantino." I couldn't stop thinking about her during this entire movie. And I think that this is something Kevin Smith was trying to do. He was trying to make us identify with the story. And I sure did.

Bravo Two Zero (1999 TV Movie)

One of the few very good true war stories.

[9/10 · 18 April 2006]

I was first told about Andy McNabb from a half-insane guy who played the main character in a movie which was shot in my home town. I talked to him for a long time and we got talking about books and I mentioned I was a big Clancy fan. He said if I liked Clancy i should check out Andy McNabb. I hadn't seen Heat at the time but he recommended it because McNabb was a technical weapons training adviser on it. And he said that many people reacted very well to the fact that everyone in that movie held their guns and rifles correctly and changing the clip in a professional way. Later on i saw Heat and I was very impressed. I haven't read anything by McNabb yet but I think i will. definitely after seeing this.

The film Bravo Two Zero tells the story about eight SAS soldiers who was sent behind enemy lines in The Gulf War. The opening montage of this film sucked me straight in. a composition of old Gulf War footage and news reports. it then cuts to a title card which says that this is a true story accompanied with the song "Londons Calling" by The Clash. The film continues to be very realistic all the way through. Not much clichéd hero stuff but rather to quote that guy who first told me about McNabb: "It's about misery. This is a real story about a real James Bond. No champagne or beautiful women." And enemy is not portrayed as villains or dumb like in oh so many Hollywood films. It is rumored though that McNabb exaggerated a bit on how many enemies they killed but this isn't a very large factor in the story. The story is not about how many enemies they killed. It's about survival and misery.

This is very impressive for a TV movie and Sean Bean most certainly doesn't make it worse. Definitely recommended to you who like realistic stories like Tom Clancy's books.

The Flying Car (2002 TV Short)

Kevin Smith has got WAY to much time on his hands.

[8/10 · 17 April 2006]

Or he has just to many good ideas and no time to convert them into feature lenght scripts. so he makes shorts like this! and i love them! this short is basically just Clerks in a car. they're sitting there in traffic talking about how flying cars should have been invented already. it doesn't make much sense to the common viewer but to us fans of pop culture this is some of the funniest things we'll ever see. what's bothering me though is why didn't he include this in one of his movies in stead of making this little short? i mean i think it would have fitted into Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back somewhere. or maybe in Clerks 2? oh but it doesn't matter. this was great either way. it's just as his other movies so if you're a Kevin Smith fan then download it and watch it! it's a must!

Clerks (2000–2001)

Funny as hell!

[17 April 2006]

i am so sad that not more episodes was made out of this. it's like "That's My Bush!" all over again! now i do admit that i was a little nervous at first that this wasn't really gonna be so good and just be stupid...believe me when i say this: IT'S NOT!!!! if you love Kevin Smith then watch this show! it's all in a true Kevin Smith style. I always told myself that Kevin Smith was an un-violent Quentin Tarantino. and i'm starting to think that i was right. their styles are almost the same but in stead of all the violence we get comedy here! The two jokes i laughed hardest at in this show was: 1.This was a line i the third episode of the show. The convenient store has been covered in an air tight tent and a bunch of guys in white air tight suits come in. they talk to Dante who know that there's no outbreak here and that it was just because of Randal's old burritos that they think there was a virus.

Dante: Look there's no outbreak here. You're victims of an overactive imagination of a pop culture junkie loud mouth.

White suit guy: Quentin Tarantino?

HAHA! 2. Later they're in a chopper and a stealth bomber is gonna destroy the city because they think there's a virus there. Dante gets on the radio to try and stop them.

Dante: I'm talking to the pilots in the bomber that is heading toward the quick stop. My name is Dante Hicks. Please guys. You gotta believe me. There is no virus in either the qickstop or Leonardo. It was a hoax played by an idiot with to much time on his hands.

Pilot: Quentin Tarantino?

Man I love Kevin Smith! I'm really looking forward to Clerks 2 now. this show is very recommended to Kevin Smith fans and anyone who wants to laugh their asses off.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

GET ON WITH IT!!! - An amateur review.

[10/10 · 17 April 2006]

WOW! is all i can say about this comedy epic. i had seen it 8 years ago but all i remembered of it was the rabbit scene. and i had no recollection on how it ended. now 8 years later i got the double disc DVD and as usually i watch everything on the discs. including those stupid subtitle tracks. the film itself is simply brilliant. after about 3 and a half minutes of quite amusing credits it starts with a scene with king Arthur having the most meaningless argument with a guard in a castle. it's my favorite scene in the film. my favorite line i: "Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! i love that line! it then goes on to another favorite scene of mine with Dennis. he was quite the menace for the king. heh...get it? menace? Dennis? it was the....never mind....

the film then plays out with oh so many funny scenes and meaningless arguments that you'll die laughing. this is the perfect film for Saturday night or any other day for that matter. totally recommended to anyone in any age! watch it over and over and over again!

The Big Combo (1955)

First is first, and second is nobody.

[9/10 · 6 March 2006]

The most stylish and gritty film noir ever made. Or so I hear. I haven't seen to many film noirs yet to make that kind of a statement for myself but this is what I hear. And if I didn't know better (which I don't) I'd say it's correct. The use of light, shadow and silhouettes in this film is truly beautiful and remarkable.

The film is about Police Lt. Leonard Diamond and his quest, or I guess you could say obsession, to putting suspected mob boss Mr. Brown behind bars. But after being after him for so long and with no results the police department shuts down the investigation due to the fact that it's starting to cos the city to much money. Now Lt. Diamond only has one chance of getting to Mr. Brown. Through his girlfriend, Susan Lowell.

The film was fun to watch although a tad boring at times. But only for a few moments. The suspense level in The Big Combo is very high and reaches its peak at the very end. The ending is something I really liked and the ending shot of the film demonstrates the visual style of film noir at its most extreme. There were some scenes in the film which brought out some very strong emotions in me but if I say what the scenes were I'd have to write a spoiler. Just be prepared to be marveled by this films dialogue, style and intriguing story.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

This is a teen comedy made by mature adults.

[10/10 · 17 February 2006]

Best. Comedy. Ever. Maybe not the funniest but the best none the less! Oh my god!!! How can a COMEDY be this good? I had no idea what kind of an actor Steve Carell was a after seeing Bruce Almighty but judging from that film I'd say he was nothing special. This movie sure proved me wrong! All the references to other movies were great and very funny to watch. And my favorite the "Dawn Of The Dead" remake playing on the TV in the background was very funny and great to see for fans of the movie (like me). The fact that they had nudity and it is a comedy and it's not a teen comedy is the most remarkable thing I have ever seen! It was done in such a classy way that I wouldn't even be embarrassed to show this movie to my mom.

Now i do admit that i was extremely embarrassed watching this during the first few scenes with the awkward moments and when they all find out that he's a virgin but you know what? That's just credit to Carells acting and the directing. I tell you Judd Apatow is now one of my favorite director/writers. I can't wait to see Fun With Dick And Jane! Paul Rudd the guy from friends who plays David was quite funny in this. You know I always knew he'd make it after I saw him on that show. He's actually very funny. And his acting here in this movie is actually very good and funny! I actually think that the character Andy Stitzer is a character who a lot of people can identify with. I mean at least teenagers who haven't had sex yet. The way he acts and talks to himself like getting all psyched up about every small little thing in stead of just stop thinking and to just do it. Which he does do in the end of the movie.

Apparently most of the dialogue was improvised and i gotta say....I didn't notice it that well. I mean the dialogue did seem a bit more natural than in other movies so if you just stop and listen to it closely for a moment I guess you can tell. But this is in no way a bad thing of course. Another thing I loved was the small skit-like scenes with just funny dialogue. I tell you sometimes I thought I was watching a Kevin Smith movie. Like the guy who wanted to buy the high heels shoes or the whole "Do you know how i know you're gay?" thing. Now I mentioned this being like a teen comedy right? Well it really isn't but it has the same feel as a teen movie but the difference is that this movie was actually good.

All the main actors in this are not teens but in their 20s 30s and (of course) 40s. Such a great movie! I definitely recommend it to everyone because not only is it funny but it's very encouraging to people who haven't had sex yet.

Mae Day: The Crumbling of a Documentary (1992)

Well.....I liked the ending.

[4/10 · 16 February 2006]

A good thing about this whole thing is that Kevin Smith wasn't trying to be someone he's not with this. He wasn't trying to make a masterpiece. (please God tell me he didn't try!) The film is a mockumentary about making a documentary. How did he come up with that? Anyway the film (if you can call it that) was alright and I did enjoy the soundtrack and especially the whole thing about Kevin Smith and that other guy (who, even though we never saw his face, had the most uncanny resemblance to Ben Affleck) never showing their faces and always being out of frame and the whole them being in the shadow talking to the camera thing. If you're watching this to see Kevin Smith humor then you'll be a bit disappointed. There was some of it in the ending though and that was a good thing I guess.

For very hardcore Kevin Smith fans only!

Touch of Evil (1958)

Hey I've got this....I've got this ticking noise....There's a ticking noise in my head.

[9/10 · 15 February 2006]

My first Orson Welles movie. What can I say? The man was a genius. The movie takes place on the Mexican border and revolves around three princibal characters. Vargas who's a Mexican cop. There's Susan who's being framed for murder and then there's Quinlan played by Orson Welles. Quinland is a dirty cop who plants evidence on a crime scene. But Vargas knows he did it and he's coming after him.

I truly enjoyed this. A very realistically done movie and a very dark one. There aren't many day scenes here. One thing I really enjoyed was the quirky motel clerk who sort of resembled Norman Bates. You know who I'm talking about. One thing I noticed was that one of the songs that plated on the car radio closely resembled the theme song to the original Casino Royale. There's off screen action in this movie and that's a thing I really like in movies. It gives you time to think in stead of having it thrown in your face all the time. Now one downside was that I saw Get Shorty before this movie and in a scene in Get Shorty they show the ending to this movie. But it didn't ruin it that much.

A very good film. Recommended.

True Romance (1993)

This really is the ultimate Quentin Tarantino movie.

[10/10 · 15 February 2006]

True Romance. Tarantino's first, and ironically enough most original, movie. Though directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, Enemy of the State) the film remains very faithful to Tarantino's original conception. With the exception of the ending and the trademark Tarantino non-linear storytelling being taken out. There are oh so many things in this movie that Tarantino's later works reference to that it's like a Tarantino fan boy treat! Which I am not anymore. But during my one year time as a fan boy I did read the script of this movie and this was before I even saw the movie. So this being so very faithful to the script you can imagine how psyched i was seeing this movie. I was not disappointed.

The movie starts off in not so sunny Detroit with our anti-hero Clarence. Clarence lives a very lonely life with comic books, Kung Fu movies and Elvis as his greatest passions. But one day a woman named Alabama comes into his life. They fall in love instantly and armed with a 38 caliber revolver, a suitcase full of cocaine and most of all love, they set off to sunny Hollywood to try to sell it off and live happily ever after.

Many people brand this movie as a narcissistic teenage boy's wet dream. Well it's not. This is supposed to be a fairy tale and it so is. I mean he's a film geek and she's a hot girl. Well it turns out this hot girl likes movies and comics to so they get married. That's every man's dream. Tarantino didn't set out to make a fairy tale when he wrote it but the changes that Tony Scott made (as small as they were) really changed the theme of the movie and made it lighter and more like a fairy tale. Personally I would have really liked to see what the movie would have been like if Tarantino had directed it.

This is one of those movies which has a wonderful cast. First there's Christian Slater (....well...True Romance) who plays the character of Clarence very good. Had this been directed by Tarantino in the early nineties the part would have been played by Tarantino himself. Slater plays it with a certain style and this really is his best film ever. I wonder why he doesn't get better parts in movies. Then there's Dennis Hopper (Land of the Dead, Speed) who plays his father in a couple of scenes. The whole movie is worth watching just for him. Gary Oldman (Léon, Lost in Space) plays a very cool role as Drexl the pimp. Good old Gary. Christopher Walken has a small role and plays it very calm and cool. Michael Rapaport, (Friends) who we all know from Friends and Deep Blue Sea, Plays struggling actor Dick Richie and gives a solid performance. And last but most certainly not least there's Chris Penn (rest in peace) as Detective Nicky Dimes. He plays the part with such coolness and style and the film would not be what it is if he weren't in it.

"People have asked me: 'So would you ever do a romance movie?' like that's not what I would do. 'Well, I did a romantic movie, True Romance.' 'No, no, I mean like a real romantic movie.' 'Well that is a real romantic movie.' 'No, like one without violence?' 'Well there'll be a lot of things in any movie I do that will be contradictory, but anybody who's a fan of the movie can tell you, the title - True Romance - is not ironic...this is true romance.'" - Quentin Tarantino.

Red Eye (2005)

A very good thriller! I always loved plane movies!

[8/10 · 7 February 2006]

Finally we get something good out of Wes Craven again! I had almost lost hope after Scream 3. His last really good film was Scream. He has done something right with this one.

The whole film basically takes place on a plane in seat 18F. I always loved these movies which are confined to a small space like Phone Booth or Panic Room. The claustrophobia and sense of urgency is always there and makes you sit on the edge of your seat during the entire movie. This film does that in a very good way but not perfectly. There is the occasional pause like the scene on the private plane with Keefe and his family. Although the scene is necessary to establish that Keefe has a family and that he's not just some corrupt politician.

Acting performances by Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy where quite remarkable. Rachel, whom we all remember from The Hot Chick, (yeah that was her) is cuter than ever and actually gives a good performance playing the hostage. This only goes to show that just because you're very very.....very hot doesn't mean you still can't act. Cillian Murphy, who we all know best as Jim from 28 Days later, gives a creepy but good performance as Jack Rippner (Notice the Scream connection?) who comes off as a very nice guy in the beginning but is revealed for what he really is later on.

Wes does steal a bit from himself in the end of the film in a scene which involves a girl being chased through a house by a psychopath with a knife while her dad is unconscious. (That's from Scream in case you didn't get it) One of my few complaints is that this otherwise great movie suffers from some rather bad CGI. They should have used more practical props and miniatures in stead of just doing it on a computer. Something, which I'm sad to say, is becoming more and more common in movies these days.

White Noise (I) (2005)

I wouldn't exactly call it cinematic pleasure.....but I sorta liked it!

[6/10 · 7 February 2006]

Michael Keaton gives a good performance as architect Jonathan Rivers. I found the movie good and thrilling at times but it somehow lost its phase in the end. But then again that's also the case with many films like Timecop and Hard Cash.

Storywise the movie was quite good. The idea of a device which can record our personalities after death is quite interesting. A quote by Thomas Edison made in 1928, which is used in the beginning of the movie, states: "Nobody knows whether our personalities pass on to another existence or sphere, but if we can evolve an instrument so delicate as to be manipulated by our personality as it survives in the next life such an instrument ought to record something." The concept of E.V.P.; (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) is elaborated on through the entire movie and it leaves us still thinking.

The directing and the way it's written holds up pretty good up until about 2/3 in the movie. The characters and Michael's acting as a father is quite good and not flawed in any way. The story flows in a good and convincing way. But it's in the end where it starts to get a little hectic. There's a twist to the story which sorta destroys the original set up and it becomes a tad....well dull and inconsistent to be perfectly blunt.

But all in all this is an enjoyable film. Just don't expect to be blown away.

The Killers (1956)

Acting and directing is somewhat superior to that of the opening scene in the 1946 version of The Killers.

[9/10 · 5 February 2006]

This is the best student film I have ever seen. Not only in directing but style also. It's black and white as every good film noir is. If you can call this short film noir or not though is up for discussion. This is a very faithful adaption of Ernest Hemingway's short story The Killers. And the way it's shot, cut and acted is truly remarkable. Especially in one scene when a man walks into the diner while the killers have Nick Adams and the cook tied up in the back. The whole scene plays out without any dialogue but with the customer whistling a happy tune while George makes him his sandwich. A very good scene.

The short has no soundtrack and doesn't need one either. With the situation and the dialogue it all speaks for itself. A very good short and worth the money I payed for it.